The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical connectors that have an array of signal contacts and associated ground shields.
Some known electrical connectors are mezzanine connectors that mechanically and electrically interconnect a pair of circuit boards in a parallel arrangement. In some connector arrangements, a single mezzanine connector will engage both circuit boards to interconnect the circuit boards. For example, the mezzanine connector will be mounted to one of the circuit boards and will engage the other circuit board at a separable mating interface. At least some known mezzanine connector systems utilize two mezzanine connectors that are each mounted to a different circuit board and then mated together. Such systems can be complex and difficult to manufacture. For example, such mezzanine connectors have many contacts individually loaded into a housing, which may be difficult and time consuming to assemble. Furthermore, the contacts may be deflectable spring beams that require long beam lengths to achieve the required spring force and deformation range at the mating interface between the two connectors. The mezzanine connectors have ground shields that are designed to shield individual contacts or contact pairs along the beam length. But, known mezzanine connectors suffer from signal performance limits because the ground shields are not electrically commoned with each other along the length of the connectors. For example, the ground shields may be electrically commoned at the circuit boards, but a lack of commoning along the beam lengths and at the mating interface results in electrical interference that is detrimental to the signal integrity of the mezzanine connectors.
Thus, a need exists for an electrical connector having an array of signal contacts and enhanced ground shielding that improves electrical performance.